The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Smallholding => Land Management => Topic started by: Fruin Farm on February 13, 2015, 10:18:13 pm
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Does anyone have an ethical solution to moles? I don't mind them being around if I could redirect them into the woodland and out of my field.....any thought much appreciated.
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I have a very soft spot for moles too and wouldn't harm one. Try jumping up and down near the runs or beating a stick along them. The vibrations may make them move away :fc:
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We have had loads of mole hills in the field this year. Much more than previous years. They were even making mounds when the ground was frozen hard. I wish my own digging skills were as good.
I have no idea how to get rid of them or redirect them but OH isn't worried as he says the soil they are bringing up is nice soil. So every cloud......
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The soil is good for potting on seedlings.
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We seem to have more mole hills than usual too ??? Anyone got any idea why ?
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Mild winter? Not many cold days this year I reckon
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We are over run too - they even pop up in our polytunnel and tip over new seedlings grr. Moles are a sign of a healthy soil, with plenty of earthworms. Our place has been called 'the Mole Sanctuary' because while the surrounding fields which get sprayed and fertilizers used, have no moles to speak of (he also poisons them), our place is like an island of plenty. It's as if they make it under the fence then live a sanctified life. Except they don't. One of the down sides of moles is the bare soil they leave. This gets nibbled at by sheep and lambs, and causes listeriosis (I'll be delighted if someone can tell me I'm wrong there). Also ewes tend to lamb onto the mole hills - can't imagine why, so the lambs are covered in soil before they've even been licked. We also once had a ewe which cowped (tipped upside down) over a particularly large mole hill, to be found struggling with her legs waving. Yes the soil is perfect - in fact we are building a whole new raised bed to use it, BUT the little blighters have to go as things have gone beyond a joke - more mole hill than grass. This happened once before and a gamekeeper from the big estate came and trapped them for us (at a price). With the traps, it's a case of 'snap, you're dead' so seems as humane as is possible. It's not like trapping a fox or a bird, where they can be injured but not killed.
I think I've told the tale before of trying to salt the skins but they all went missing, taken by rats to line their nests :roflanim:
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Agree with FW. The other thing I've been told is that at this time of year they're making tunnels looking for mates - so it's not just about earthworms. I don't know if that's true or not.
BH traps them here, as do the farms round about. He's told me that it is a sure death but not a very quick one. So he rues the day they banned strichnine, which he reckons was quicker and surer. And he wouldn't have used it if he thought it was harming other wildlife. However, it's not an option now.
We've had people trap them for us too - the going rate now seems to be £5/mole. Make sure you get the bodies - there have been stories of several farmers paying for the same moles ;) and even some farmers paying repeatedly for the same moles! (Cue my story about 'recycling' my milk teeth and the Tooth Fairy not twigging on... :innocent:)
BH and I were talking about the moles the other day, and saying that if we eradicated them we'd probably have to pay someone to do some soil aeration... so they're a mixed blessing in a way. But the biggest issues relate to the listeriosis risk - as FW says, lambs seem to love to lie on them and we are sure cause more problems with mucky eyes and inturned eyelids, some ewes even lamb onto them, and also, any humps of soil left as the grass begins to grow for cropping can end up in the silage or even the hay - and then you really do have a risk of listeriosis.
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Also lots moles... wetter soil with less frosty days.
I like moles, they drain/aerate my land.
You can get ultrasonic prob thingies that run on solar power supposedly useable to get moles to move - never tried them. As soon as fields are dry enough I'll just chain them.
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We are get more hill than grass in some fields. I also have a soft spot for them.... And also for me sheep, so feel duty bound to make an effort to keep on top of population. I trap a few (please to hear I save myself £5 each time!) it's not hard, but I wish there wasn't a need (I only do it because of what I have heard about soil bourn diseases :-(
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Can you make a pet of a mole?
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I forgot to say, I had a friend in Devon went into worm-farming on a field scale. They found that the sonic deterrents really worked - but you did need a lot of them. Whether it would be financially viable for stock pasture, I doubt, but it may be something people want to look into for veg plots etc.
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We bought some more mole traps on saturday (previous cheaper ones the 'spring' part snapped, decided it cheaper to pay more). Currently ashamed of the state of the fields, looks like a battle gound. £5! that's cheap, £10 at time here! heard tell of one farmer being stung for 70 moles! 70 x £10!
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We sold mole skins for 6d each (that's 6 old pence) when children (I wasn't always sentimental!) Though I recall it was always someone else did the trapping and skinning ;D
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Glad I am not the only one having mole issues!
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Moles are fine unless you're making hay as the mower will spread the soil everywhere and spoil the hay. I've heard moles are everywhere this winter. My two meadows are spread full of molehills.
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it brings a new meaning to Mole Valley Farmers ;D we have loads mainly in the wet area, soil looks great though
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...just too took the dog for a quad-bike run .. my middle field suddenly looks like the battle of the somme - just two days after only a few hills.
But i like moles, do good drainage and it'll all chain harrow down as soon as it's dry enough to get the tractor on it.
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I am happy to let things live but not at the cost of my paddocks. Sadly the moles are being evicted at the moment. Thus far I have trapped quick death 15 moles.
I use the spring traps with two hoops that snap down.
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The moles are certainly busy this year, ive caught 38 so far in the last couple of months.
I do a a bit of trapping for a few people i know and charge £5-£10/mole depending on the distance from home i have to travel.
One chap pays (by choice) £15/mole as hes over the moon that i catch them for him!